Pick a few markets get a good idea of exactly what you’re looking for a pull.

There is a big marketplace for used appliances so you can always sell them, I understand your concern about them sitting, the dryer could sit indefinitely and the washer would be the main item of concern that I'd just sell Like others have said, you ultimately picked these tenants out of the 50 applicants you had.

Then after a year or more of this... seek out and befriend an experienced real estate investor, bring them as much value as I could, get into their world, learn as much from them as possible, partner on some deals, hustle, probably fail, pick myself up, probably fail again, pick myself back up again, continue learning, continue hustling, continue to slowly succeed until I master the process and live an absolutely epic life.

There are a multitude of ways to make money in the RE world, I would focus on picking one based on your skillset!

Its no more than their fairly transparent short term ploy to leverage one group against another until all are so weak individually that where they couldn't be beaten as a group, they will be relatively easy pickings individually. 

Well the reference room in Philadelphia never picks up the phone or responds to voicemail but via leveraging the tip of a record existing in 1969 was indeed helpful.

I am just trying to pick your brain.

Right now I am researching outside my local market to pick up some more multi families that will both cash flow and appreciate.

Google for title companies in your area, on Monday (or better yet Tuesday since Monday is a holiday for some), pick up the phone and dial every single one of them

Since you like reading, you might pick up Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor by Amanda Han (she's been featured on the BP podcast a few times).